Not You
by AllegianceXxtoxXStars
Summary: After scaring the princess he was initially there to court, half to death, he must mend his mistakes. But will his plan work better than he expected? And who is this Merida and why is she so different?
1. Not You

"Oi, Angus you can't eat every apple, save some for me" She took her hand and ran it through his mane as she scolded. After a bit of nuzzling with her best friend she rose to her feet, taking her bow and aiming at a nearby tree. She was getting away from the castle, from her duties and responsibilities, and from preparations for another courting party. Something they had been doing recently bringing in suitors for her to pick and choose if she wanted one or none of them. Aiming at her target and releasing every feeling and thought she had this was her perfect form a therapy. Nothing but the bow, arrow and the target existed at that moment. That moment, however, was soon ruined when she heard Anguses fearful cry. Throwing her bow over her shoulder, she ran back to his side trying to calm him down. When he composed him self, she looked around wondering what could have spooked her horse so much. When she looked up shock filled her features at the giant black creature flying through the air.

"Is that?" She asked herself when suddenly it landed right next to her. Her mouth hung open, but she still held her breath one hand going to her bow the other going to Angus. Its giant tail was to the pair and it was lowering its body to the ground.

"That was a long ride! I thought I would give you a bit of rest. I need to stretch my legs anyway" She heard a voice speak as a boy, probably her age, thudded to the ground from the back of the creature and her mouth snapped shut in shock. "I wonder where you can find fish around here" He said looking around a smile on his features. That's when he noticed her, out of the corner of his eye. He turned to face her, his smile falling and his usual present 'I'm dead' expression took its place. Her mouth was clamped shut her blue eyes widened with fear and confusion and her hand was gripping her bow so tight it was close to breaking. "Do you know where I can get-" A scream ripped from her throat before he could get the sentence out. She threw herself over her horse and ran off toward the kingdom her fiery curls blowing out behind her.

"Well I hope that doesn't affect this trip," He said staring after her. His eyes shifted from her retreating form, to the sky looking at the sun. "Oh were late" He said coming back to himself running over to his friend. Climbing the dragon he lifted into the sky and flew toward the kingdom.

* * *

><p>"Mom!" She yelled coming into the room. The women looked up and a disgruntled look passed her face.<p>

"Merida, your not ready and there almost here" The redhead's mind went to the suitors that were coming in. Although they decided to let Merida fall in love on her own accord, she still needed to meet a young men in order for some sort of feeling to blossom. Her mother breathed and gave her a new dress that wasn't dirty. It was nice and Merida didn't mind it, but speaking of her mind it was filled with pictures of the dragon and strange boy.

"Mom I saw, a-" She started and realized she didn't fully believe what she saw and it was right in front of her eyes not moments before, there was no way her mother was going to believe just her words. Even after the whole bear incident which was about a few months ago, they still weren't so open minded about the supernatural world.

"A what dear?" He mother asked as she helped Merida into the dress.

"Nothing it, was nothing" She finally said. He mother looked at her strangely, Merida never came back without a story, but when Fergus knocked on the door saying the suitors were ready the conversation was put off.

"We are going to greet the suitors then introduce you" Her mother explained to her the timing and when she would appear.

* * *

><p>Landing in the woods closes the entrance of the land he hopped off, Toothless looked excited to be going to a party and it just about broke Hiccups heart to say,<p>

"Sorry buddy you have to stay here, if that's the way that one girl reacted how do you think the royal family will react. I'll be back later, don't worry this will probably get really boring really fast" He scratched his dragon then was off to meet with his clan placing him self-next his dad and Astrid as they entered.

"Are you ready for this" She smirked, knowing Hiccup had protested this from the start.

"Well my dad says she has to fall in love with me" He responded while they stood in the grand hall waiting her arrival along side many other clans also here to seek the hand of the princess.

"Why wouldn't she fall in love you're pretty great" Astrid answered a blush forming on her cheeks, but Hiccup smiled at her anyways causing her blush to deepen.

"Thanks Astrid, I know I am everything a princess could ask for, scrawny, short and-" he started with the personal abuse when the blonde cut in.

"Brave, your brave Hiccup" He was going to counter that when the queen spoke up and called the room to order.

"We are pleased to have you all here in DunBroch, as said before you came this is not a chance at betrothal, but who is best suited to court the princess if she says no, then you will come to us after and we will figure out peace another way. Is that understood" All the chiefs nodded their heads. The queen smiled and clapped her hands together. "Perfect now if you may draw your attention to the stairs on your left." She said and down the stares floated a beautiful girl with wild red hair. "Princess Merida of DunBroch" Hiccup looked at her like she was a ghost.

_"The girl I scared was the princess I am now trying to court! You can't make this up!"_ The brunette screamed in his head. The girl landed next her mom and smiled at her guests not noticing him yet.

"Welcome to DunBroch, I look forward to meeting all of you" She smiled and placed herself in her thrown for her father to speak. As he spoke striking words of fear into the boys that were there to win her heart she saw him, the boy with the dragon, she had to tell her father. She wasn't paying much attention, too caught up with the boy, that when she looked back and saw her dad was gone in a sea of people she panicked. Jumping up and off the stage, she ran forward after him into the crowed. She was searching heavy when a hand grabbed her arm. Whipping around to see who could possibly want her attention at a time like this, she saw _him._

"We need to talk," He said, trying to be calm but his voice was frantic like her eyes.

"Let go of me!" He did so, preventing the scene that was about to ensue. "You are Vikings with a dragon!" She screeched, searching anxiously around the room looking for her dad to tell. "I'm telling my dad immediately!"

"Oh no please don't do that, he's not dangerous" Hiccup begged. She ignored him as she spotted her father and started that way. "Let me show you" She stopped at his words and turned confusion, but intrigue deep in her face.

"Show me your dragon?" Her eye brows nit together as she asked the question.

"Please" He said extending his hand. She looked back at her father, closing her eyes and taking a breath calming her self down. "Do you trust me?"

"No" She said running the opposite direction to her thrown grabbing what was underneath and running back to where Hiccup stood. She proceeded to grab his hand and pull him toward the door.

"Where are you two going?" They heard, turning to see Astrid.

"I'm showing her Toothless," He said giving her a look that said 'Alone'. Then he turned and started dragging Merida out the door.

* * *

><p>"Don't be scared," He said as he led her to the spot where he left his pet. Bringing her to the woodsy area, he released her hand to wrangle Toothless if he didn't like the princess. When the dragon saw Hiccup he appeared very happy nuzzling his owner much like Angus does to the red head. "Merida" She heard coming out of her thoughts, Hiccups hand was stretched out to her. She took a step closer and he grabbed her wrist and started guiding her forward toward the beast.<p>

"Toothless, this is Merida, she is my friend" He brought her hand to meet the dragons black nose and Toothless succumbed to her warmth. "See not so scary right?" He smiled at the young princess. She stared bewildered and in disbelief for a moment before smiling.

"Hi Toothless" She said to the dragon, which seemed to smile down at her. Hiccup watched her grinning as she slowly came to the charm that was Toothless.

"Do you want to ride him?" The boy asked and she looked at him like he was crazy. Rolling his eyes, he grabbed her hand and pulled her up with him onto Toothless. After they were mounted Hiccup blushed as he realized his sudden rush of confidence was gone and he wasn't really sure where it came from to begin with. Clearing his throat awkwardly as to calm himself down he heard her speak.

"Hiccup are you sure about this?" He didn't say anything, just indicated Toothless to rise into the air and fly slowly. Merida wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged tightly, slightly scared. After a few minutes of flying she spoke again.

"DunBroch" She was looking around astonished. "It's beautiful," The red head breathed.

"So you're not going to tell your father," She laughed and shook her head.

"I guess he doesn't have to know" She smiled at Hiccup then blushed embarrassed "I'm sorry I overreached"

"It's the hair" He joked, but was repaid with a smack to the head. "Sorry" He said bringing Toothless higher into he air.

* * *

><p>When they landed Merida leapt off gracefully and patiently waited for her companion. He landed beside her, taking the head of his dragon he looked in his eyes.<p>

"Be good" He said then started walking away Merida at his side.

"That was fun, I want to learn how ride" She told him stopping at the door of the party.

"Well if you ever in Berk" He smiled, running a hand through his now wind blown hair. She returned his grin before turning to entering the room and going to meet the other suitors so she could properly report back to her parents. He looked at the red hair bouncing behind her and a small fire burned in the pit of his stomach.

* * *

><p>"So darling which one do you pick" Merida shrugged her shoulders and her mom sighed. "We are not forcing you into this, but if there are any boys you are willing to just give a chance" The red head looked around the room and her eyes landed on the brunette and she bit her lip thinking about it, she hadn't really considered anyone, but she did have fun with Hiccup.<p>

"Well…" She started looking back at her mom.

* * *

><p>"The princess has made a decision, will all the leaders of the clan please meet with The King and I and we will make plans of peace." All the clans sighed and started to exit the room to go back to the ships. Astrid was laughing alongside Hiccup when he felt a hand on his shoulder.<p>

"Merida" He questioned when he turned around.

"Not you" He looked at his blonde friend who had an angry look on her face. His mouth hung open and he stared at her shocked and allowed himself to get dragged away from Astrid. "You get to meet my Father" She winked at him.


	2. Just Relax

"Just relax," She said, her thick accent wrapped around him like a hug. He had been flying back and forth to see Merida since that day. This time she was teaching him how to properly shoot a bow and arrow, something he thought he knew how to do. However when the master tells you otherwise it's sensible to agree. His right hand held the grip as his left hand brought back the bow to aim. Releasing the arrow he hit the blue ring of the objective.

"There see, I hit the target" He looked over at the red head that was sitting cross-legged next to Toothless. She shook her head as she got up a smile on her face.

"Aim it again," She said gently coming to stand next to him, doing as she said he felt one of her hands come to rest on his left shoulder the other wrapping around his, gripping the bow as well. _This was supposed to calm him down?! _To make matters worst, she was speaking gently in his ear, her warm breath hitting the sensitive skin there, he could hardly focus on her words let alone the target.

"Hiccup" He heard her say through the haze of, dare he say, attraction.

"Yeah" He managed to get out, by some miracle, without his voice cracking.

"Release" Without even registering what she said, he obeyed, and with that he hit a bulls eye. With eyes wide he turned them to Merida's, which roughly were, about an inch apart. They stood like that, in the moment of each other's eyes.

"We still have food to eat," She said, turning away first, attempting to tuck her fiery locks behind her ear but they fell out moving back into place. Hiccup breathed, calming himself down and walking over to sit beside her on the blanket.

* * *

><p>He watched from the chair in his house where he sat guilty and shy as she paced back and forth, her blond braid whipping about her every time she spun around to pace the opposite direction. Occasionally she would stop, look at Hiccup, open her mouth to speak then shut it and continue her pacing. When she did finally stop, she was looking out a window a tear rolling down her cheek.<p>

"So have you chosen her?" When he didn't answer she squeezed her eyes shut and clenched her fists, slowly she walked over to where he sat. The moment was quick and Hiccup honestly didn't see it coming. And as quick as it had happened, she was out the door.

"She gave you a good one there," His father said with a chuckle, sitting down, Hiccup had gotten up to look at his face in a piece of metal weaponry.

"She left a mark too" He said gently touching his cheek where the image of a hand displayed itself proudly.

"Nothing to be ashamed of having two girls like you" His father said smugly; a cocky smile on his lips, hey that was his offspring.

"But that's just it dad, I don't know if Merida likes me, or if she just picked me to please her parents"

* * *

><p>Hiccup woke up from the memory with a start. He ran his hand across the fine sheets that certainly weren't his as he thought about the red head that, somehow, wormed her way into his heart. Getting out of bed and exiting the room he began to drift through the castle, that had become very familiar. He was thinking about Astrid and how he had let her down. Of course he liked her, but not like this, he wasn't even sure what this was. He thought about the day with the slap and his conversation with his father. Of course he thought about Merida, he always thought about her. Her smile and bright blue eyes, her curly red hair that seems to set ablaze in the sunset, that cute look on her face, she got when she was angry, or the look she got when she rode her horse shooting arrows at the various targets.<p>

"Hiccup" He jumped when he heard his name, he was so busy with his thoughts of Merida, that when she stood before him, it seemed like a dream, despite the fact that he had just spent a whole day with this very girl.

"Sorry" He apologized for nothing in particular, just seemed like the right thing to say. She shook her head and grabbed his hand, leading him up to the top of the castle's tower. They sat there looking at the stars as Hiccup built up the courage to talk to this girl who he considered a good friend.

"Merida, why did you pick me?" She didn't respond, didn't so much as look away from the sky and Hiccup contemplated if she had heard him at all. Just as he was about to repeat himself, she opened her mouth.

"A story for a story?" She bargained. Hiccup thought about it then agreed.

"Okay fine, which story do you want?" He asked, somehow completely comfortable in the situation when not 3 minutes before she was making his head spin. She looked at his left leg for a moment, then back at him. He just laughed and nodded his head.


	3. Spitfire

He wasn't going to lye it was not so easy being in love with a spitfire. Hiccup liked to take things slow, like to think things through, and sure he also liked to fall off a dragon and go free falling, not concerned with the death that lay just below, but Merida, wow, she really was something else, it really sent Hiccup's head spinning. The hardrest part about loving someone so fervent was that was the best thing about her. Sure she took things too far, and blew fights way out of proportion, but hey she kept you on your toes.

Hiccup would never forget the time she kicked him out of Scotland! The whole thing! Naturally, he would have shown up with a bouquet of flowers, but Merida wasn't a bouquet of flowers kind of girl. So he brought her a quiver of arrows, a bag of apples, and a mighty apology. He knew Merida would never say sorry first too stubborn, not to mention her lack of means with getting to him. She had of course forgiven him instantly and too apologized for her words, and kicking him out of the country. That night they made a fire in the woods and lay under neither the stars telling stories from their lands. Hiccup couldn't tell you what the fight was over, but he remembered every detail of that night. Including the part when they fell asleep and didn't wake up till the next morning.

Since the incident with Astrid he spent most of his time in Dun Broch. It had become home and shortly almost all his time was spent there, with the exception of going home to see his father, he liked it more there anyways. There he taught Merida to ride Toothless, something she picked up rather quickly, but still decided to stick to horses. He would spend a lot of his time wondering what it could be like to kiss her, and when he finally did, it was nothing he ever imagined;

He would never forget that night either. They were both 17 and it was another courting party, something her parents continued when nothing came of their friendship. Hiccup leaned on the wall, watching as the other boys flirted with her, this always happened at the parties, she would talk, mingle but toward the end of the night gravitate back to him. On one particular night a boy caught her attention. His name was Conan; he had brown hair, brown eyes, and a nice face. He was a good sword fighter, and on their first conversation, challenged Merida to a duel, she was hooked. And when she didn't come back to him by the end of the night, something in Hiccup snapped, he grabbed her hand and hauled her outside. He started yelling at her, at himself, and really everything in particular. One rule with Merida, do not yell. Those blue eyes set ablaze with fire and she chewed him out for everything he was worth, reprimanded him, and told him, she did not deserve this treatment she had done nothing wrong! Technically she hadn't. But she was _his_ god damn it! Didn't she know that! Well if she didn't he would have to show her. In a few short steps he closed the distance between them, and almost instantly she melted into him, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him closer. It was intoxicating, and powerful, but it was right, it was how it was supposed to be, them, him, her, wrapped up in each others arms, this is what made sense not Astrid, although Astrid was still a dear friend, and certainly not Conan. When they finally pulled away, she punched him in the arm something so naturally Merida.

"If you wanted to kiss me, you could have just done it," She laughed, shaking her head and heading back into the party. Soon her parents knew and they rejoiced. They liked Hiccup already, and they were more than happy to hear a relationship had blossomed.

Now here he sat on his bed, in Dun Broch wondering just how to ask the woman he fawned over to be his. He wished there were some kind of social norm that dictated this sort of thing, sure there were traditions from both of their homes, but that wasn't enough, Merida was a special girl, and it had to be a special day, just how?


End file.
